


Palace ghosts

by Lautari



Series: Threading Stars [8]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Requited Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:00:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23273590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lautari/pseuds/Lautari
Summary: Mara withdrew immediately, and he winced. They had always been able to slip past each other’s shields, if they really had any around each other. It was just always that easy to slip in. It was intimate and unnerving and unspoken. “You can just ask me,” he whispered.“What’s wrong?”“I don’t belong in there anymore.”She could sense the underlying sadness without the Force. “Do you belong out here?” she whispered, not sure she wanted to know.
Relationships: Callista Ming/Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade & Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker, Wedge Antilles & Luke Skywalker
Series: Threading Stars [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1255013
Comments: 8
Kudos: 27





	Palace ghosts

Callista.

She was a beautiful woman. In the months since Wedge first met her, Cray Mingla’s features had not necessarily faded as they had blended with those of the lost Jedi his friend had fallen in love with. The high cheekbones erased the cherubic features and growing, darkening hair took the place of stylish blonde locks. Callista was regal, her poise unflinching. She stood in a single ray of light in the corridor, her thoughts elsewhere when he approached. She greeted him with a soft smile without looking at him, her gaze occupied down the hall. “General Antilles.”

“You lost?”

Her expression was amused. “I walked these halls long before you were born. They hold no secret for me.”

He blushed, forgetting who she was and where she came from. It was eerie, seeing her now standing amongst the relics of her old life, while still not quite at rest in her new one. She didn’t belong there, and it made Wedge sorry for Luke.

“I’m a ghost.”

“I’m sorry?”

She stuck her chin out down the hall. “I’ve been standing here for three minutes and they have yet to even pause for a breath.”

Mara and Luke were just inside the door from the courtyard, in deep, animated conversation. _Oh_. Wedge frowned, not sure of her tone. “They’re friends. They’ve been through a lot together.”

Callista didn’t like the easy way she brought a smile to his face or the way he was obviously ribbing her over something. He pushed her arm playfully and the look on her face was murderous, but it didn’t faze him. Her expression begrudgingly melted into a scowl and she must’ve had a smart retort because he smirked and shrugged. They had the easy friendship that came with old friends, but a tension burned below the surface. “Then why are they dancing around each other?”

Wedge shifted uncomfortably as if he knew or saw the same thing she did. “He’s with you. But he did have a life with other people in it before you.”

Mara glanced in their direction and seemed to say goodbye. Luke watched her go before spinning and making his way back to Callista’s side. Wedge passed him and punched his arm. “I got to catch up with Mara, she’s got a delivery for Mirax.”

“Will I see you later?”

Wedge waved an affirmative and had to jog to catch up to Mara and fall into step next to her. “Jade, wait. _Jaaaddeee_. What’s gotten into you?”

“She’s no good for him,” Mara muttered, distracted.

Wedge knew Mara didn’t mince words, but he still winced. “That’s a little harsh.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “You disagree?”

He didn’t answer.

She turned her eyes back forward. “It might be harsh but that doesn’t make it any less true. Skywalker is blind when it comes to people.”

Wedge stopped abruptly, not liking the way she spoke of one of his oldest friends. The words were true, but her attitude cut. “If that surprises you, you certainly don’t know him. He doesn’t give up on people.”

She spun on him. “I know him better than you might think. I also know she’s never going to love him more than she wants her abilities back.”

“Callista is a good woman.”

Mara softened slightly before turning, continuing down the corridor. “I have no doubts she is. Luke wouldn’t love her otherwise.”

Wedge caught the wistfulness in her tone, one he wasn’t sure she was even aware of. He almost didn’t say anything, wanting to stay out of his friend’s business, knowing Luke’s history with the red head was murky and rife with missed chances. They were either playing dumb or were completely unaware of the whispers about them, but Wedge had noticed the way Luke used to watch Mara with a softness in his eyes and deep affection. Luke knew how to handle her, but Mara was always the one able to cut the deepest.

He remembered exchanging glances with Han the first time they’d seen her with Lando. The three of them had been out after touring the new Starfighter Command hangar and it was a chance meeting at one of the mid-level bars. It was one Mara had introduced Luke to and it became one of his favorites. Apparently, she’d done the same with Lando. Han’s brow had furrowed in confusion and he shook his head at Wedge, lips tight, sure to unload on his friend as soon as he got Calrissian alone. He’d always had Mara picked for his brother in law. Luke’s face was smooth, betraying no emotion, but Wedge had caught the slight pause in his step after catching sight of them at the bar before continuing to the booth they picked. He nodded at them when Lando caught saw of the trio but didn’t meander over as he usually would’ve and slid in with his back to them, Mara’s green eyes looking everywhere else but at him.

“He’s missed you,” Wedge said, catching up to her again. He nodded at the lightsaber dangling from her belt. “He gave that to you, didn’t he? That meant something to him. He gave you a piece of his past because he saw you in his future.” Her eyes stayed forward, but her fingers gently closed around the weapon. “Look, I know he’s got Callista, but you had your thing with Lando. _First_.”

Her lips pursed.

“He got over it, so should you.”

Mara frowned, turning to ask what he was talking about, but he was already opening a conference room door. “I’ll send Horn down to the hangar after the meeting to get Mirax’s crates.”

**********

There was something about Coruscant, an energy that Mara had yet to experience anywhere else. She didn’t consider herself sentimental, but the city planet was home; and evenings like these reminded her that not every moment of her youth was a trial. Evenings spent in ballrooms, wrapped in silk, and tapping her toes underneath her skirt whilst sipping Hapan wine…all fond memories, despite the stagnant, heavy atmosphere under Palpatine.

Now the evening was bright, it was easy to breathe. Mara never felt how the stifling the dark side was growing up because it was all she’d known. Surrounding her, clawing at her, though never quite claiming her. It wasn’t until she’d stepped out on her own from under the Emperor’s influence that she recognized its greedy fog. Tonight, the music was breezy, people were laughing freely, and the revelry was contagious. It helped that it was a celebration for the new Rogue headquarters and not a stuffy political function. The attendees were mostly old squad mates and their families. In the past it was something she would’ve attended with Luke, drinking until dawn and sneaking onto the roof. But…things had changed. Still, the invite had touched her, aware of her inclusion into a band of friends very much forged by war; and aware of who had brought her into the circle.

She grabbed a drink and sidled up to Wedge and Corran leaning against the bar. “Luke’s here,” Wedge murmured behind his glass, still terse from earlier. “I would love for you guys to _not_ steal the show.”

Mara smiled sweetly. “Don’t worry, Mirax and I already have plans.”

Corran made a strangled noise. “No, you don’t.”

“Where is the great Jedi Master, anyway? Does he still partake in parties or is fun and joy not allowed in the Order?”

“Maybe you’d know if you came around more.” Corran shrugged at her raised eyebrow. “He’s doing the best he can. And yeah, he’ll still tie one on when he comes to Coruscant.”

“Ah, well then, we best hide the Cortyg brandy,” Mara smarted, trying to hide the sting from Corran’s words.

“Why? Afraid he might drink you under the table like last time?”

“That-”

“Hey guys,” a soft voice interrupted behind Mara. She turned to find Luke a mere foot away, dressed in casual gray pants and jacket. It had been a long time since she’d seen him in anything but Jedi robes. He smiled at her, and he looked so much like when they first met, it caught her off guard. She clenched her fist to keep from brushing the ahir out of his eyes and wondered how much he’d heard.

“Mara, you look beautiful,” he added, smiling at the deep purple silk wrapped around her form in a way that seemed casually draped, though it had been immaculately tailored to her curves. “I’ll have a Cortyg brandy,” he told the bartender while holding her gaze. “Neat.”

She smirked.

“Take it easy, I’ve got a round of whiskey coming,” Wedge warned, brushing past them after catching sight of Iella Wessiri walking in with Mirax. Corran followed, bumping Luke’s side as he went.

He and Mara stood together against the bar watching the merriment in silence. Usually at this point, Luke would’ve offered her his hand, but that seemed too intimate now. Now…they stood with their arms almost brushing, slightly swaying to the music, not knowing what to say to one another. “Where’s Lando?” Luke finally piped up.

She raised an eyebrow. “Where’s Callista?”

He caught the drink set down next to him and nodded his thanks to the bartender, before answering. “She’s staying in.”

She didn’t press. “Lando will be here I’m sure.”

He frowned, wanting to ask about the flippancy, but was interrupted by Hobbie with a tray of shot glasses. “Drink up, boss.”

Luke blushed handing one to Mara before taking one for himself.

“Cheers!” Wedge shouted across the room, holding a glass high. “Who could’ve known what would be built by a couple of bush pilots?”

Everyone cheered and saluted, and Mara noticed Luke paused momentarily before down his glass. She raised an eyebrow and he just shrugged sheepishly. He set the glass on the bar and smiled at her, before brushing past her to one of the doors leading to one of the balconies. She frowned, grabbing both their drinks and following him, but Wedge stepped in front of her. “What is your deal, Antilles?” she hissed.

The pilot stepped closer. “If you can’t love him, then don’t make him love you,” he said quietly.

Mara frowned and opened her mouth. Words didn’t form and she shook her head.

Wedge touched her elbow. “Please don’t hurt my friend.”

He slipped past her to rejoin the party, that felt so far removed from what was going on between her and Luke that she barely heard the laughter and music anymore. Shakily, she took a moment to take a deep breath and tightened her grip around both glasses before stepping outside. She chuckled when she found him standing on the broad, stone balcony rail. “Not exactly Jedi Master behavior.”

He grinned back over his shoulder. “Not exactly standard issue for one of Karrde’s crew members.”

She harrumphed primly, and hiked up the dress in question, to perch and swing her legs over the rail. Luke settled next to her gracefully and accepted his drink back, but he was…reserved, distracted. She brushed against him lightly in the Force, trying to coax anything…

“Don’t.”

Mara withdrew immediately, and he winced. They had always been able to slip past each other’s shields, if they really had any around each other. It was just always that easy to slip in. It was intimate and unnerving and unspoken. “You can just ask me,” he whispered.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t belong in there anymore.”

She could sense the underlying sadness without the Force. “Do you belong out here?” she whispered, not sure she wanted to know.

He didn’t answer immediately, and Mara tossed back the rest of her drink. They could’ve stayed the entire night, easily. She knew Luke wasn’t that kind of man. She didn’t want to find out if she was that kind of woman. “You should go home to Callista.”

Luke nodded gazing out at the skylanes and when his gaze found hers again, he smiled softly, sadly. He had chosen. “Yeah.”

**********

Callista didn’t sleep. She had stayed in, to look through files that she had pulled from the Senate archives. Information was sketchy at best, a thousand years of history wiped out in a matter of decades took time to reassemble, but she spent the better part of the evening combing through every detail until Luke returned. He’d slipped in, distracted, and then passed out, always able to sleep so peacefully, especially after making love. She’d lain awake the remaining hours of night watching the lines of his face until daylight broke through the curtains and roused him. Luke stretched and smiled at her, bleary and content. “Morning.”

She smiled and rolled against him. “For a farm boy, you manage to sleep like a baby on Coruscant.”.”

“I don’t let much of anything get in the way of a good night’s sleep.” He squeezed her. “You find anything last night?”

She shook her head slightly against his chest. “Just ghosts,” she whispered. “You? You weren’t out late.”

There was long pause and a sigh before he answered. “Just ghosts.” He sat up and dug for his clothes. “I’m starving.”

Callista leaned back against the headboard and pulled the sheets to her chest. “Was she there?”

He paused in pulling the tunic over his head and frowned. “Who?’

“The redhead.”

Luke grinned and pulled the shirt down, shaking a hand through his unruly hair. “Oh. Mara.”

Callista’s eyes narrowed at the easy Outer Rim drawl when he said the woman’s name. The warmth. “She’s very beautiful.”

“Yes, she is.” His head perked up as if he realized he might’ve said something wrong, that he wasn’t talking amongst his buddies as usual and instead the woman he’d just committed to. He knew he should say, _so are you_ , but that would’ve been clumsy. Instead, he scooped her up in his arms disarmingly. “What do you say we head to the mess?”

“Will Mara be there?”

He cocked his head. “I don’t know. Perhaps. We have the same circle of friends.”

“ _You’re_ friends.”

His arms dropped. Callista didn’t need the Force to sense the defensiveness rising. “Yes.”

She remembered Wedge’s words and placed a reassuring hand on his chest. “I understand you have people in your life. I know your friends are important to you.”

He sat on the end of the bed and crossed his arms. “Then what’s the problem?”

“I just want to be sure of where I stand and where she does.”

“Why Mara?”

_Because I’ve seen the way you look at her_! she wanted to yell. “Because she’s different.”

Luke’s eyes darkened, ready to defend Mara. “If this…”

“It’s not because of her Imperial past.” How could she put it into words? _She knew_. “She’s just…your only female friend.”

“That’s not true.”

“You know what I mean.”

He nodded and looked away. Mara _was_ different. She always had been and would be.

“We’ve been through a lot together.” He remembered seeing her in the bar with Lando - _their bar_ \- and he swallowed hard to bite back the surge of anger. It was surely just overprotectiveness. “I might be a little overprotective,” he said out loud. “She doesn’t have family. She’s judged by what she was made early in life.”

“And I commend her.”

“Don’t patronize her.”

Callista raised an eyebrow.

Luke exhaled, stood, and rubbed her arms soothingly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.” He cupped her cheek. “Let’s go eat. We can go somewhere else if you want.”

She was tempted. But she remembered the way Mara and Luke stood together and a part of her wouldn’t let go. She knew where this would end one day, knew it in some visceral part of her soul. She knew that she would leave Luke. But until then, he was hers. “No, let’s go eat with your friends.”

**********

“Well good morning, sweetheart,” Janson sang, with a mock salute when they entered the mess. “And _Mrs._ Sweetheart.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Sleep well?”

Luke pulled out a chair for Callista and narrowed his eyes. “You’re lucky I’m not your commanding officer anymore.”

“For sure. The war is so much more enjoyable now.”

“Shut up,” Wedge griped.

Luke grinned and slapped his shoulder. “Feeling rough this morning?”

The Corellian moaned. “You become respectable and all of a sudden your tolerance for hard liquor drops.”

“So, no sausage for you?”

“I will _kill_ you.” He shoved his tray at him. “Eat. I sure as hell can’t.”

Callista was being entertained by Janson and Hobbie reenacting antics from the night before, while Luke picked absently at his plate, glancing around occasionally. “She’s not here,” Wedge murmured.

Luke frowned.

“She left early. Off planet.”

“Why?”

Wedge shrugged. “She’s got a life, Luke.” He sipped his caff. “You getting ready to return to yours?”

Luke paused chewing, both men staring each other down, before he felt Callista’s hand on his knee. He covered it with his own. “We’re going home this afternoon.”


End file.
